Finalists names for Winthrop principal position

Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District names two finalists for the Winthrop School principal position.

Jennie Oemig

Christopher Heath and Amy Pasquarello are the two finalists for the vacant principal position at Winthrop Elementary School.

A meet and greet with the Pasquarello and Heath will convene Tuesday, July 24, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Winthrop Elementary School.

“The evening will be an open forum where audience members will be able to ask questions of each candidate,” Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District Superintendent Michael Harvey said. “Audience members will be asked to complete feedback forms after meeting with each candidate.”

Heath currently serves as the principal at Goodyear Elementary School in Woburn and has held that position for two years.

Pasquarello has been the integrated media specialist at Winthrop Elementary School since 2006.

She also serves as the school’s teacher-in-charge, assuming administrative responsibilities when the principal is out of the office.

During his tenure at Goodyear, Heath oversaw the completion and opening of a new school building.

Heath has also served as an assistant principal and teacher at the Joshua Eaton Elementary School in Reading and has spent time as a classroom teacher in Topsfield and Swampscott.

Heath has a master’s degree in education from Salem State University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Maine at Orono.

Pasquarello is an adjunct professor at Simmons College, where she teaches a course on integrating modern skills into the classroom.

Before working at Winthrop Elementary, Pasquarello was a classroom teacher in schools in Virginia and Connecticut.

Pasquarello holds a certificate of advanced graduate studies in education from Salem State University, a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree in education and psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

The search for a new principal began last month after Carrie Vaich tendered her resignation in order to take a principal position at Mast Way Elementary School in Lee, N. H.

From there, the field of candidates was narrowed to seven semi-finalists, who were interviewed on Wednesday, July 11.

“Our search committee interviewed seven candidates out of a field of 40 initial applicants and found two candidates who possess the right combination of education, experience and enthusiasm necessary for success in the position,” Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District Superintendent Michael Harvey said.

Based on the interviews, the two strongest candidates, Heath and Pasquarello, were chosen as finalists.

“I anticipate announcing our next Winthrop School Principal by July 27,” he said.